The La Mancha Fixer Office was officially established.
Though no requests had yet come in, Don Quixote kept pestering Nearl to tell him stories about Fixers and knights. Nearl, unable to resist his childish persistence, complied with his wishes.
As for Obsidian, he was currently buried neck-deep in work.
He desperately wanted to send Don Quixote to deal with The Great Lake and handle some missions there… but the problem was, Bloodfiends feared water!
Hai had recently tested and confirmed that Don Quixote absolutely detested water. Under these circumstances, sending him to pioneer The Great Lake was hopeless.
Thus, after Don Quixote, The Great Lake had become Obsidian's newest headache.
I can't just send Laurentina and her Abyssal Hunters straight into the lake either... they'd probably get slaughtered.
Stroking his chin thoughtfully, Obsidian paced the small wooden hut, deep in contemplation.
Besides, he couldn't just let Don Quixote idle away either—he had to assign him some work.
What if he caused trouble out of boredom?
It would be best not to let him rest too much, so he could taste the joys of overworking. Obsidian was certain Don Quixote wouldn't object. As for Nearl… she probably wouldn't mind.
Exploration? Frontier work? Doesn't really feel like something Don Quixote would be interested in. He prefers knightly adventures. Sending him straight out of The City would be convenient, but losing that manpower and free labor… something feels off.
Sighing deeply, Obsidian wracked his brain for ideas.
Indeed, letting Don Quixote roam freely would certainly enhance The City's reputation, but with so many potential threats within The City, he was reluctant to release such powerful combat strength so easily.
"Ugh… The City really is a mixed bag now. These gangs are becoming increasingly troublesome."
Obsidian rose to his feet, momentarily setting aside his concerns about Don Quixote, and instead cast his perception across the entire City, muttering irritably.
It had to be admitted, The City's population had grown rapidly—but this also brought certain drawbacks.
Most new arrivals belonged to society's bottom layer, with few middle-class or elite citizens migrating here. And among the lower classes were plenty of "undesirables."
Upon entering The City, they swiftly formed proto-gangs, a problem that quickly became a headache. Obsidian knew such developments were inevitable, but without proper law enforcement agencies, it threatened to disrupt social order.
The Second Association needed to hurry up, and these gangs… needed to be taught some rules.
Standing up decisively, Obsidian felt a sudden flash of inspiration. He immediately knew what to have Don Quixote handle.
Moreover, it was something Don Quixote surely wouldn't refuse.
I recall there being a taboo in the original City, 'Fixers must never harm civilians without reason.' Wasn't there something similar for gangs, too?
The City Head didn't want life to become cheap—but in reality, life in The City wasn't cheap; it was practically free.
Still, nothing stopped Obsidian from implementing that taboo here as well.
"Fine… let's integrate these gangs while we're at it."
Resolutely, Obsidian raised his hand, transmitting instructions directly to Hai.
It was the perfect opportunity to earn some Madness, anyway.
...
The following day, Hai, acting as The City Head's spokesperson, announced a new taboo: neither Fixers nor gang members could harm civilians en masse without cause.
Initially, nobody paid attention. After all, with so many Sarkaz mercenaries around, who cared about such regulations?
But after Hai calmly dragged several former Sarkaz mercenaries, now Grade-4 Fixers, into a certain secret room, The City suddenly became quiet.
Most Fixers obediently complied with the new taboo—especially after hearing what happened to those unfortunate few. Rumors spread wildly.
Their assets confiscated, Fixer ranks demoted, beaten so severely they couldn't take on requests for a long time—those were minor issues. More concerning was their frightened silence; even the slightest mention of their experience caused them to tremble uncontrollably.
Whatever happened clearly wasn't pleasant.
It wasn't difficult to refrain from mass slaughtering civilians anyway, so why risk offending the head of the Hana Association? Nobody wanted to imagine the consequences.
Within The City, rumors spread rapidly—especially one prominent theory by an infamous troublemaker nicknamed "Caterpillar," speculating that the Hana Association had beaten the men senseless and dragged them off to forcibly…
Of course, while Fixers quickly fell in line, the gangs remained defiant.
The lower-tier gangs continued violent feuds, coercing civilians into forced labor—a primary source of their income. As far as they were concerned, Hana Association oversaw Fixers; surely, they wouldn't bother with gangs?
On the surface, everything appeared calm. Yet beneath the calm façade, trouble brewed…
...
"Taboo Hunter? Temporary identity? What's that?"
At La Mancha Fixer Office, Don Quixote stared blankly at Hai, scratching his head as he examined the document handed to him.
"You never mentioned anything like this before."
"…Just treat it as a new job category. The Fixer Association hasn't started recruiting this type yet, and it's inconvenient for me to personally act. So, please help out this once as a temporary assignment."
Hai shook his head slightly, explaining calmly:
"A Taboo Hunter's job is to punish those who break taboos. Recently, The City's gangs have grown increasingly bold. Currently, there are three main gangs—the Crimson Blood, Yellow Jade, and Blue Lake gangs. Each has forcibly exploited civilians, with each gang responsible for at least thirty innocent deaths—violating The City's newest taboo."
"Smaller gangs aren't causing much trouble yet, so they don't need immediate attention."
Don Quixote pondered Hai's words briefly, then spoke excitedly:
"So, that's our assignment? Punishing wicked criminals and upholding order? Heh, sounds incredibly interesting!"
"…This is only a temporary request for you to act as a Taboo Hunter. Don't get too attached to the title."
Hai's voice betrayed mild exasperation at Don Quixote's eagerness.
However, Don Quixote's presence alone should be intimidating enough… and this mission would conveniently raise his profile in The City.
Useful for future plans.
"Oh, come on, don't be so stingy…"
"There'll be better titles for you eventually, don't worry."
"That's the spirit!"
Don Quixote flashed Hai a thumbs-up, swiftly snatched the document from his hands, called Nearl over, and dashed towards the door. Before he left, Hai called out hesitantly:
"…You're sure you'll be alright?"
Turning back, Don Quixote offered Hai a bright, dazzling smile.